caverspencer
Member
- Location
- Eagle Mountain Utah
Was hoping to have some pictures to go along with this. I guess they can be added later.
Doug and Brit were kind of enough to invite me along and I want to say thanks to them, they are awesome people. Actually they have invited me several times but I am seem to have something going on. I am glad we were finally able to go, it sure beat my dinkin around out by 5 mile not really knowing any trails or anything. We drove down Firday evening and set up camp on salt valley raod? I decided I wanted to pull off my mud flaps so I wouldnt catch them droping off of rocks or ledges so I borrowed wrench from doug and took care of that. We also drove our vehicles up on a boulder there at camp to check out the flex. Saturday morning Doug mentioned we were going to head up Nerd Gate and that it would be the worst part. He ahd me bypass a washed out part that was pretty tippy, at that point we didnt really know what the Montero was capable of, by the end of the weekend we had done much worse things than that. Coming down the other side of Nerd Gate near Klondyke bluffs trail I caught a fender dropping off a very small ledge, it poped a rivet and was easily repaired. We stopped an did a little hike with my kids to a lookout over part of Arhces. Then hopped back on the trail, nothing really exciting happened other than Mountain bikers wondering how we got our vehicles out there.
After a stop for Lunch in Moab we headed up towards fins and things. First we did the baby lions back so I could "get a fell for the hills" coming down the back side I was pretty scared then I locked my brakes for a couple of feet that didnt help either. We then headed over to fins and things. We started on the south side of the main road wich imediately gave me a feel for the steep hills. I did not really have any trouble I can remember on any of the slickrock hills out there. Everyone that knows the trail knows the story, we went and down steep slickrock hills, across fins, up and down some more, then we came to one little narrow spot were you need a spotter. After getting yelled out for not listening to my spotter I made it across that with no problem, then we went up and down some more hills, when we got to kens climb I had considered bypassing it, after watching the low geared same idle up it with no problem i decided to try it. It was a little steep but made it up no problem, I cant say that I would want to go down it though. After going across the baby lions back again (it didnt seem so steep this time) we headed back to camp for the night. My wife to bed early with the kids so it was kind of quiet laid back night.
Sunday we (i mean and Doug and Brit) were debatting about were we should go. I am so glad they decided to do Poison Spider. It was a blast. Going up the switchbacks there was one step that give me a challenge with my open rear diferential. AFter carefully placing a tire on a carefully placed rock
we made it up that. I dont remember any other obstacles until the waterfall, although I am sure there were a few. I was pretty enrvous watching Bittany drive the sammi up it. it looked a little tippy. The waterfall took a few attempts to get all four of the monteros tires on the rock at the right angle to make the turn. Those superdiggers live up to their name and dig nice holes in the sand at the bottom of places like that. Once I was on the rock I made the turn and drove on up. It was not as tippy as I thought. The next hang up was just up the trail a little bit. Again I dug some nice hole at the bottom with those supper diggers. After several attempts Doug had mentioned getting out the tow strap, I realized I had not aired down the tires yet while I was doing taht Doug swept some of the sand off rock so my frint tires would be on rock. About this time some guys on 4 wheelers showed up to watch. One of the first things out of their mouth was "is that a rental" I replied with "no, its my family car" My wife, was sitting on the bank taking pictures had been asked the same question by another one of them. I hoped in the vehicle and crept up to the rock again and gave it another try, same result, superdiggers dug a hole on the rear passenger and the front drivers burned a little rubber, I backed about a foot or two and gave it a little bump, by this time my spotter had given up and was not up there, but i was not about to stop now so I just went off my instink and made it up ok, I hit the drivers side running board but other than that I didnt feel anything bottom. Other than that there was not anything major to report. I had to take a second attempt on a couple of steps that I didnt not have my tires just in the correct spot, but I think I did ok. The Wedgie was fun, I was planning to bypass it, but decided to try it. I was pretty worried about losing some paint if my tires slipped off. It took some careful manuevering and my spotter did an awesome job. My passenger running board was scraping so I was not able to everything he wanted me to. As a result I lifted a tire probably 12-14" in the air. At that point Doug wanted me to back out of it, doing so would have put my tire down in the sand so I asked Doug if I could just inch forward and hope the tire would come down. i dont think Doug was unhappy with me second guessing him but he agreed to let me try it. It worked out pretty good and was able to complete the wedgie, it scraped a little paint off the running board but nothing major. There was another optional climb not to far above the wedgie, Doug idled up it in the sammi with a nice audience that for some stupid reason though my montero sport would do it but his sammi would not. I inched up to it to check my appraoch angle, and crept up it as well. it was short but one on the steepest hills we did. The was also a couple of spots up further on the loop part of the trail where both the sammi and my montero sport lifted some tires but nothing really to report. It was a great time and I am so glad for Doug and Brittany for taken us and to push us a little harded than we felt comfortable. I cant wait to get a dif locker and perhaps beef up the skids a little and go again.
Doug and Brit were kind of enough to invite me along and I want to say thanks to them, they are awesome people. Actually they have invited me several times but I am seem to have something going on. I am glad we were finally able to go, it sure beat my dinkin around out by 5 mile not really knowing any trails or anything. We drove down Firday evening and set up camp on salt valley raod? I decided I wanted to pull off my mud flaps so I wouldnt catch them droping off of rocks or ledges so I borrowed wrench from doug and took care of that. We also drove our vehicles up on a boulder there at camp to check out the flex. Saturday morning Doug mentioned we were going to head up Nerd Gate and that it would be the worst part. He ahd me bypass a washed out part that was pretty tippy, at that point we didnt really know what the Montero was capable of, by the end of the weekend we had done much worse things than that. Coming down the other side of Nerd Gate near Klondyke bluffs trail I caught a fender dropping off a very small ledge, it poped a rivet and was easily repaired. We stopped an did a little hike with my kids to a lookout over part of Arhces. Then hopped back on the trail, nothing really exciting happened other than Mountain bikers wondering how we got our vehicles out there.
After a stop for Lunch in Moab we headed up towards fins and things. First we did the baby lions back so I could "get a fell for the hills" coming down the back side I was pretty scared then I locked my brakes for a couple of feet that didnt help either. We then headed over to fins and things. We started on the south side of the main road wich imediately gave me a feel for the steep hills. I did not really have any trouble I can remember on any of the slickrock hills out there. Everyone that knows the trail knows the story, we went and down steep slickrock hills, across fins, up and down some more, then we came to one little narrow spot were you need a spotter. After getting yelled out for not listening to my spotter I made it across that with no problem, then we went up and down some more hills, when we got to kens climb I had considered bypassing it, after watching the low geared same idle up it with no problem i decided to try it. It was a little steep but made it up no problem, I cant say that I would want to go down it though. After going across the baby lions back again (it didnt seem so steep this time) we headed back to camp for the night. My wife to bed early with the kids so it was kind of quiet laid back night.
Sunday we (i mean and Doug and Brit) were debatting about were we should go. I am so glad they decided to do Poison Spider. It was a blast. Going up the switchbacks there was one step that give me a challenge with my open rear diferential. AFter carefully placing a tire on a carefully placed rock
we made it up that. I dont remember any other obstacles until the waterfall, although I am sure there were a few. I was pretty enrvous watching Bittany drive the sammi up it. it looked a little tippy. The waterfall took a few attempts to get all four of the monteros tires on the rock at the right angle to make the turn. Those superdiggers live up to their name and dig nice holes in the sand at the bottom of places like that. Once I was on the rock I made the turn and drove on up. It was not as tippy as I thought. The next hang up was just up the trail a little bit. Again I dug some nice hole at the bottom with those supper diggers. After several attempts Doug had mentioned getting out the tow strap, I realized I had not aired down the tires yet while I was doing taht Doug swept some of the sand off rock so my frint tires would be on rock. About this time some guys on 4 wheelers showed up to watch. One of the first things out of their mouth was "is that a rental" I replied with "no, its my family car" My wife, was sitting on the bank taking pictures had been asked the same question by another one of them. I hoped in the vehicle and crept up to the rock again and gave it another try, same result, superdiggers dug a hole on the rear passenger and the front drivers burned a little rubber, I backed about a foot or two and gave it a little bump, by this time my spotter had given up and was not up there, but i was not about to stop now so I just went off my instink and made it up ok, I hit the drivers side running board but other than that I didnt feel anything bottom. Other than that there was not anything major to report. I had to take a second attempt on a couple of steps that I didnt not have my tires just in the correct spot, but I think I did ok. The Wedgie was fun, I was planning to bypass it, but decided to try it. I was pretty worried about losing some paint if my tires slipped off. It took some careful manuevering and my spotter did an awesome job. My passenger running board was scraping so I was not able to everything he wanted me to. As a result I lifted a tire probably 12-14" in the air. At that point Doug wanted me to back out of it, doing so would have put my tire down in the sand so I asked Doug if I could just inch forward and hope the tire would come down. i dont think Doug was unhappy with me second guessing him but he agreed to let me try it. It worked out pretty good and was able to complete the wedgie, it scraped a little paint off the running board but nothing major. There was another optional climb not to far above the wedgie, Doug idled up it in the sammi with a nice audience that for some stupid reason though my montero sport would do it but his sammi would not. I inched up to it to check my appraoch angle, and crept up it as well. it was short but one on the steepest hills we did. The was also a couple of spots up further on the loop part of the trail where both the sammi and my montero sport lifted some tires but nothing really to report. It was a great time and I am so glad for Doug and Brittany for taken us and to push us a little harded than we felt comfortable. I cant wait to get a dif locker and perhaps beef up the skids a little and go again.
